Hidden In The Trees
by Peyton23
Summary: He thought cutting down the treehouse would be the final goodbye to his late mother. Little did he know it would lead to the hello of a free-spirited girl dressed like a genie. She's here for the summer, can he make her stay?
1. Chapter 1

He'd been staring at the treehouse for about two hours now. The sun beat down on his sweat-stained forehead with an intensity he'd never quite felt before, and he was sure his face was almost as red as the apple he'd eaten hours ago. Still, he continued to stare. The treehouse itself was constructed beautifully, a miniature picturesque thing that stood perfectly on the supporting four branches of the large oak that stood on the edge of the property. He'd cleared its insides meticulously, scrubbing away the fine layers of dust that gathered on the ledges of the small windows, retrieving his secret stash of comic books from the panel in the floor, and organizing all of the remaining toys into separate donation piles. He'd prepared so meticulously for this day, so convinced that this would be a quick goodbye, a quick fix, like locating a protruding tumour and cutting it right off. He held the chainsaw in his hand, and faltered.

The colour of the wood is what shook him. The treehouse was put up when he'd just turned 5. He remembered how proud he was of the enclave dedicated to his own independance that he'd declared it his 'man cave', until he came home to next day to find it painted a robin's egg blue and his mother's hands stained like the sky. He cried the rest of the week, refused to go into his house that had been defaced in his absence, painted a monstrosity of light blue and decorated with painted gold stars on the roof. Carlisle had appeased him for about a day before telling him to move on, while his mother had remained fretful in the brunt of his anger.

Elizabeth had the kindest smile, one that he was not immune to. Even at 18 now, 13 years after the year of the treehouse scandal-as it would come to be known, Edward still remembers the apology in her eyes, the warmth of her hands on his cheeks, and the way her voice shook as she pleaded him to let it remain the way it was because it made her happy to look at it. Five year old Edward had even recognized how uncommon it was for her to be happy, and how trivial the girliness of his 'man cave' seemed in comparison.

"Are you going to cut that fucker down, or shall I have a go at it?"

Edward spun around at the sudden voice, almost dropping the chainsaw on his foot.

"Shit," he held a hand up to his chest, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to sneak up on people holding chainsaws?"

Edward was taken aback by the girl standing in his backyard, one he'd never seen before. She was wearing the tiniest pair of denim shorts he'd ever seen, with a white off the shoulder shirt and necklaces that went on for days. She looked like a human genie, and if she offered him three wishes right at that moment, his first would be to make her his.

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	2. Chapter 2

He realized she was talking a little too late. He'd been staring for the past five minutes, unable to look away from the gentle curves in her brown hair, and the tanned legs that went on for days. She was his genie, and he would willingly stay under her hold for as long as she wished. Her lips were stained like she just finished off a cherry popsicle, and he wondered if they would taste like cherries too.

"Hello? Hello?" her voice had a huff of annoyance to it now, but Edward wasn't bothered.

"Sorry," Edward blinked, waving a hand up to his head, "Lost in my thoughts."

Her lips quirked to the side in a half-smile, and she looked at the treehouse, "You seem to do that a lot."

"Not to be rude, but who are you?" he asked.

Her laugh sounded like wind chimes. She pointed to the house beside his, partly shrouded by the leaves of trees.

"I'm staying with my aunt Kate for a little while," she kicked at the grass beneath her sandal-clad feet. "I noticed a dude standing by himself holding a chainsaw and it intrigued me."

Edward quirked an eyebrow. "Guys who look like serial killers intrigue you?"

She smirked, "Well, I got sent here for a reason, didn't I?"

Edward's stomach churned at the thought of her with anyone else. A moment of silence fell over the pair, and both of their attentions went to the treehouse.

"Are we going to cut this thing down, or what?" She placed her hands on her hips. "I really did mean it, if you're not going to cut it down, I will."

"Should we know each other's names if we're going to entrust each other with large weaponry?"

She beamed, "Well I already trust you. So you get to go first."

He dropped the chainsaw and held out his hand, "Edward Cullen."

Her hand was soft in his own, a little clammy from the heat but vision of it swallowed by his was no less charming. She gave it a surprisingly strong shake.

"Bella Swan. Here for the summer, spontaneity enthusiast, and lover of nature. So, if we're cutting this poor thing's branches off, there better be a good reason."

Edward took the handle of the chainsaw and jerked it upwards, a loud roar echoing in the silence around them.

"It's supposed to be a goodbye."

Later, the two sat surrounded by butchered oak tree branches and the remains of the treehouse wood which Edward had cut into thick slabs. Bella had gotten two Corona's from her aunt's fridge, deeming this a momentous occasion for a celebratory drink.

Edward fingered the edge label, "I should tell you now that I'm not old enough to drink."

Bella smiled a cheshire grin that he was becoming more accustomed to as the afternoon turned into early evening. "Neither am I. Tell me you're at least older than 16, though."

He ran his fingers through his unruly hair. Did he not look older than 16?

"18," he admitted.

She nodded in relief, "Good."

"And you?" Edward prompted. He couldn't imagine Bella being much older than him, if not the same age.

"19." Her answer was brief, hurried.

Edward suddenly felt under qualified in carrying a conversation with her, as if their one year difference was a decade. But this girl was larger than life, just seemingly more in every way. Edward didn't know how to catch up.

"Now," she announced suddenly, resting her hand on his knee. "Tell me about this goodbye."

Edward's ears pinkened, and he hoped it wasn't noticeable in the rays of the setting sun. His reasoning seemed stupid now, petty even. Bella's foot touched one of the slabs of wood that had come from the treehouse.

"Must've been an important one for you to tear down such a pretty thing."

He watched her appraise the pieces before them and he wondered if he saw it the way he did; noticed the carefully painted stars, each stroke of blue, the time and attentiveness spent on what should have been a simple paint job.

"You like it?" He asked.

She hummed, "It's magical. A little bit of the sky hidden in the trees."

His mother would have liked this girl, and with an ache in his chest Edward saw a similar sadness he first saw in his mother now echoed in the face of the girl beside him.

"My mother painted it one day, out of the blue. I flipped shit," Edward chuckled, ducking his head sheepishly. "I thought it was horrible. I leave my awesome, manly treehouse and come home to something out of Alice and Wonderland. It made her happy though."

"Made?"

He swallowed, "She died when I was thirteen. Car accident. Since I'm moving away for college next year, and my dad's getting remarried and his new wife has kids…I don't know. It felt like it shouldn't be here anymore. It didn't belong to anyone else besides me and her."

Bella looked at him in understanding, and a recognition that can only be shared between people familiar with goodbyes.

"I get that. Sometimes we just need to say goodbye to the things and people that are already gone. You should keep this wood though. It's beautiful, and you might need it one day."

"Who am I to deny my partner in destruction?" Edward teased.

-/-/-

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